Language Skills in Neurodiverse Children

Dear Colleagues, 

Children with neurodiverse needs, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), are known to exhibit variability in their language development, giving rise to different language phenotypes. The identification of factors partly responsible for the heterogeneity in the language development of neurodiverse children provides a promising approach to improving diagnosis and treatment options. For example, factors associated with cognitive skills, mainly executive functions, as well as socioeconomic status (e.g., household income and parental education level), and diverse language experience due to bilingualism or multilingualism have been reported to have a broad-reaching impact on language development in young typically developing children. Specifically, findings on the impact of socioeconomic disparities and cognitive abilities on linguistic skills and literacy are some of the most robust in the developmental literature, while bilingualism has also been extensively reported to affect language, and to a greater extent, cognitive flexibility skills in neurotypical children. Critically, it remains unknown whether sociodemographic, cognitive or/and language experience differences are related to the language skills of children with ASD or DLD. The current Special Issue’s aim is to promote a better understanding of the mediating role of individual differences in the manifestation of language deficits. We welcome Original Research Articles and Review Articles focused on the relationship between language skills and individual differences in children with neurodiverse speech, language and communication profiles.

Prof. Dr. Ianthi Maria Tsimpli
Dr. Eleni Peristeri
Guest Editors

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• neurodiversity
• developmental language disorder
• autism spectrum disorder
• bilingualism socioeconomic status
• language
• cognition